Postgraduate Course: Working with Self & Others: Skills Theories & Methods (SCWR11037)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE IS ONLY FOR STUDENTS ON THE MSW OR MSC IN GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMMES
Working with Self and Others: skills, theories and methods aims to support students¿ professional development as reflective practitioners through heightening their self-awareness, and increasing their understanding and application of core communication and counselling theories and methods.
Social workers work in demanding, complex and often chaotic situations with vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups. In order to effectively engage with clients, social workers need to understand their own motivations for entering the profession and how their personal history has impacted their values, vulnerabilities and skills. They need to develop self-awareness of how they conduct themselves in interaction, and what influences their presentation. Alongside this, social workers must have a critical understanding of, and ability to use various communication and counselling techniques to achieve positive outcomes with their clients.
This course provides an experiential vehicle for the enhancement of self-awareness, the learning and development of core communication skills and the opportunity to learn and apply key social work methods of practice. Working in groups students will acquire practical and theoretical understanding of group work processes. The course will take account of influences on communication, sense of self and engagement with others, including, for example, cultural context, gender, power inequalities.
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| Course description |
Through lectures, seminars, reflective writing and small groupwork this course provides an experiential vehicle for the enhancement of self-awareness, the learning and development of core communication skills and the opportunity to learn and apply key social work methods of practice. Students are expected to be active learners and engage in small groups to have a hands-on experience of putting communication theories and method into practice. Working in triads, students will practice applying core communication skills and giving constructive feedback. This work will be based on their own motivations to pursue a career in social work and simulated social work case studies.
Throughout the course students are required to keep a reflective journal. This will support the development of their self-awareness and their skills in reflective writing. The summative assessment for this course is a reflective academic essay.
Topics covered on this course include:
Verbal, non-verbal and symbolic communication
Effective listening
Developing the core skill of empathy
Giving and receiving feedback
Task centred practice
Managing resistance
Cognitive behavioural approaches
Trauma-informed practice
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 30 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Group participation: 25%
Students are required to attend and participate in each group session.
Reflective journal: formative and developmental
Throughout the course students will be required to keep a reflective journal of their learning in relation to self-awareness and skills acquisition. A journal extract will be submitted mid-course.
Essay: 75%
At the end of the course, students will write a reflective analysis of their overall learning throughout the course in relation to self-awareness, skills acquisition, knowledge and application of group work and social work practice theories.
The essay must be passed in order to pass the course.
This course must be passed in order to progress to placement in semester 2.
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| Feedback |
This course contributes to the required number of practice learning hours required by our professional body, the Scottish Social Services Council. The group participation mark is used to evidence engagement with the practice learning hours. Tutors will provide formative feedback to students throughout the course on their engagement and at the end of the course.
Formative Assessment:
Students are encouraged to keep a reflective journal throughout the course. Students will be invited to submit a short reflective piece from their journal at the mid-point of the course for formative and developmental feedback, building to their summative assessment.
Summative assessment:
The summative assignment for this course is a reflective academic essay. It is to chart the student's process of learning throughout the course. Feedback will be given via the submission platform. The essay must be passed to pass the overall course.
This course must be passed in order to progress to placement in semester 2.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop and critically reflect upon their self awareness of their motivation for professional practice.
- Develop and critically reflect upon their personal and professional communication skills, values and attributes.
- Demonstrate and analyse their understanding of the underpinning theory of communication skills, group work theory and social work practice methods.
- Apply and practise communication skills and theory acquisition via simulations of social work practice situations.
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Reading List
Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M (eds) (2009) Social Work Themes, Issues and Critical Debates. (3rd Edn) Basingstoke. Palgrave.
Bassot, B. (2024). The Reflective Journal (4th edn). Bloomsbury Academic.
Koprowska, J (2020) Communication and interpersonal skills in Social Work. (5th Edn) Learning Matters.
Payne, M. (2014). Modern Social Work Theory (4th ed.). Oxford University Press, Incorporated.
Ruch, G. Turney, D. and Ward, A. (2018). Relationship-Based Social Work: Getting to the Heart of Practice (2nd Edn). Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Thompson, N. (2015). People Skills (4th ed.). Macmillan Education UK.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Total Hours: 200 (Lecture Hours 20, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 146) |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Eve Mullins
Tel:
Email: emullins@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Celia Atherton
Tel:
Email: cathert2@ed.ac.uk |
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